Poll

Government

Two proposed county ordinances have David McKinney worried about the future of development in the county.
McKinney, an Indian Land resident and former owner of Lancaster Dodge Chrysler Jeep Inc., became concerned after seeing the two ordinances on council’s recent agendas. The ordinances include one that would suspend rezoning requests in the Panhandle and another to reduce the size of planned development districts throughout the whole county.

Important dates have been announced for the process to fill the District 16 state Senate seat, which has been vacated by Mick Mulvaney.
Mulvaney, an Indian Land Republican who recently won election to the U.S. House, submitted his letter of resignation Friday.
Filing for the state Senate seat will begin at noon Dec. 31 and close at noon Jan. 10, said Garry Baum, a spokesman for the S.C. Election Commission.
If two or more people file in one party, a primary will be held Feb. 22. The election will be April 12.

Troubled Indian Land residential development Edenmoor remains in limbo after stake-holders failed to claim 77 parcels of land Monday at a Lancaster County tax sale.
Meanwhile, the county’s Forfeited Land Commission is now requesting bid proposals for 222 parcels offered at a tax sale last year.

County Council will hear a final report on the historic county courthouse project at its Tuesday meeting.
As part of their agreement with the county, Chad Catledge with Lancaster’s Perception Builders and Danny Mullis with Charlotte’s BE&K Building Group will present their monthly reports on the county’s two courthouse projects.
County Administrator Steve Willis said this will include Catledge’s final update on the historic courthouse, as renovations on that building come to a close.

Mick Mulvaney said he will resign from his District 16 seat in the state Senate today.
Mulvaney said Thursday that his election as the 5th District U.S. House representative was certified this week, and now he can resign from his state Senate seat. He said he plans to submit his resignation letter today.
Mulvaney, a Republican from Indian Land, defeated incumbent John Spratt, a Democrat from York, in the November election to win the congressional seat. Spratt had held the seat since 1983.
Mulvaney will take his seat in Congress on Jan. 5.

Lancaster native Al Simpson will be Mick Mulaney’s chief of staff in Washington, D.C.
Mulvaney, who will be sworn in Jan. 5 as the 5th District U.S. House representative, has been busy preparing for his new role, which includes selecting an office, meeting federal officials and appointing a staff.
Simpson will be in charge of managing Mulvaney’s staff, which will include between 12 to 15 people. He will oversee constituent services and make sure events run according to schedule.
Simpson officially accepted the offer earlier this month.

Dan Jackson doesn’t understand the need for an Indian Land Fire Protection District.
Jackson, a Charlotte Highway resident whose family has lived in the same area for more than 150 years, told Lancaster County Council last week he was worried about the idea of creating a unified district.
“I haven’t been one way or another about big companies coming in here,” Jackson said. “But if we pack more people in here, there’s more of a chance of fires.”

County Councilman Larry Honeycutt shook his head when the topic of Haile Gold Mine came up Tuesday night.
It wasn’t final reading of a fee-in-lieu-of-tax agreement between the county and the Kershaw mine that worried him. Instead, he was more concerned about where the headquarters for the company that owns the mine will be located.
Romarco Minerals Inc., a Canadian gold development company that owns about 4,000 acres of land at the mine, has been mining for gold at the site since 2007.

Before he assumes his new role in Congress, Mick Mulvaney had to go back to school.
Mulvaney, who bested longtime Democratic incumbent U.S. Rep. John Spratt for the 5th District seat, headed to Washington, D.C., last month for his freshman orientation.
From Nov. 14 to Nov. 19, Mulvaney joined more than 100 incoming members of Congress as they learned the ins and outs of their new roles, including choosing offices, meeting staff and attending how-to seminars.

County Council will hold nine public hearings during its Tuesday night meeting.
Following are the topics of the hearings:
• Establishing the Indian Land Fire Protection District
• Leasing part of the Lynwood Drive landfill for the county Flyers Club
• Creating a sewerline easement for the new county courthouse
• Approving a fee-in-lieu agreement between Haile Gold Mine and the county
• Creating the Brookchase special tax district